What is the glycemic index (GI) & its use?
Discover the Glycemic index (GI) & learn how to monitor it!
The Glycemic index or GI of a food represents the speed with which the glycemia increases, that is the concentration of glucose in our blood. Practically all the carbs & sugar that we absorb through food are transformed into glucose, & its major or minor presence affects the glycemia. When we introduce too much sugar or “Common” carbs such as drinks, sweets, unrefined rice & pasta our glycemic level increases very fast, whereas it increases in a much slower way when we introduce food s with a lower GI such as “complex” carbs rich in fibre like; wholegrain pasta & bread, brown rice, fruit & vegetables. When our glycemic level increases very fast, the so called glycemic peak, induces our pancreas to produce insulin (a hormone that regulates & hence gets back to normal our blood sugar level). The more food with a high GI we eat, the more our body must activate its defence mecchanism & therefore produce more insulin, & on the long run this slows down our pancreas functions & in particular di Langerhans cells that produce insulin. During the day when the glycemic peaks repeat themselves, they cause a state of chronic inflammation that is the cause of the increase in abdominal fat & dieseasea like; type 2 diabetes, tumors & cardiovascular diseases.
Reducing this process is therefore fundamental also because if our organism, pancreas & glycemic system function properly they help us avoid a series of serious problems & give us a lot of advantages:
- KEEPS OUR BRAIN YOUNG, a low GI diet protects our brain cells from ageing & acts positively to the production of neurotransmitters.
- AVOIDS ABDOMINAL FAT, glycemic peaks lead us to continuous hunger attacks, even right after a meal, a low GI diet prevents overweight & they formation of abdominal fat that is the most dangerous for our health, because it is strictly connected to cardiovascular diseases.
- KEEPS AWAY DIABETES, we reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome that together with other factors increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
- LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE, with a low GI diet our blood pressure remains within normal values, reducing also cholesterol & protecting arteries.
- STRENGTHENS BONES & ARTICULATIONS, keeping glycemis under control our osteoarticular system undergoes less pain, rheumatism & arthrosis.
- REDUCES THE RISK OF TUMORS, low GI foods reduce the inflammation that is linked to the contraction of various tumors.
- STRENGTHENS OUR DEFENSES, our immune systems strengthens itself & we become less sensitive to virus & bacteria.
By preventing at table we can keep away glycemic peaks & hence feel better, one of the best tricks to keep in good health is to introduce more fibre in every meal, these slow down the absorption of sugar making us feel more full and therefore eat less. furthermore we must give preference to wholegrains like brown pasta, bread & rice since they have a lower GI with respect to the others. Support every meal with a protein & those famous “good” fats such as extra virgin olive oil & nuts rich in omega 3.
It is also important to know that heat increases our glycemic index and reduces the stiety power, for example pasta cooked “al dente” will have a lower GI than over cooked pasta.
WHO ARE OUR ALLIES AT TABLE?
-Wholegrains
-Fresh in season vegetables
-fresh in season not too ripe fruit
-fish
-white meat
-legumes
-tofu
-ricotta
-white yoghurt
-green tea
-nuts & seeds
WHO ARE OUR ENEMIES AT TABLE?
-refined cereals and derivatives
-sweets & cakes
-white sugar
-sweet drinks & alcohol
-prepacked products
-red meat & fast food
Take a look at our tried and tested method: Anti-Diet
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